382 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LV, No. 1424 



varied points of view. Beyond this, specialized 

 courses are offered. 



Technical laboratory courses in experimental 

 psychology furnish training in the fundamen- 

 tal principles of scientific procedui-e in observ- 

 ation, measurement, statistics, interpretation 

 and formulation of the laws of mental phe- 

 nomena. This course furnishes a technique 

 which should be employed in all branches of 

 psychology regarded as scientific or experi- 

 mental. 



Physiological psychology usually reviews the 

 facts about the nervous system as taught in 

 neurology for the purpose of tracing the phys- 

 ical basis of mental life and showing the re- 

 lation between the mental and the neural. 



Genetic psychology is divided into two parts ; 

 mental evolution dealing with the training and 

 development of mental life in the species, and 

 mental development dealing with the unfold- 

 ing of mental life and the integration of be- 

 havior in the life of the individual. Within 

 this field lies also the problem of the inherit- 

 ance of mental traits. 



Abnormal psychology deals . with mental 

 phenomena that are strange and irregular de- 

 viations from the normal but not strictly re- 

 garded as disease; such as hypnotism, medium- 

 ship, and alterations of personality. 



Animal psychology presents a field of great 

 interest in itself; but it is of special signifi- 

 oanee in that it throws light upon human life, 

 particularly in the study of the simplest and 

 the highest forms of animal behavior. 



Social psychology treats of the social aspects 

 of mental life and often blends mto other sul)- 

 jeets, such as anthropology, social origins, so- 

 cial ethics, social welfare, and eugenics. Some- 

 times race psychology, or the psychology of 

 peoples, is differentiated from social psychol- 

 ogy- 

 Individual psychology is perhaps the most 

 conspicuous field of interest at the present time 

 as it is the foundation for "human engineer- 

 ing" in all its forms of selection and guidance 

 of individuals as well as for an intimate and ac- 

 curate account of character or individuality of 

 a person. It has recently gained great impetus 

 through the development of so-called mental 

 tests. 



Statistical psychology is a basic requirement 

 for mental measurement, particularly as em- 

 ployed in mental and physical testing and in 

 l^sychology applied to education, eomjmeree, 

 sociology, and vital statistics. 



Psycho-analysis has come in from the medi- 

 cal side as a unique and new approach to the 

 study of mental disorders such as hysteria, 

 morbid fear, aversions, and suppressed desires; 

 but also thi'ows much light upon the nature of 

 normal mental life. This is yet a polemic field 

 in which we find great enthusiasms and an- 

 tagonisms in contest. 



Behaviorism is a purely objective study of 

 human and animal life without reference to the 

 testimony of consciousness. 



These items may suffice to indicate roughly 

 the principal points of view that the student 

 entering upon a career in psychology must ac- 

 quaint himself with as each contributes a dis- 

 tinct element to the conception of psychology 

 as a whole. 



Applied Psychology 



Psychiatry, as the science and art of the 

 treatment of mental diseases, is the only fully 

 specialized profession which may be regarded 

 as applied psychology, although in many re- 

 spects it has developed independently and has 

 contributed much to normal psychology. But 

 aside from psychiatry proper, there are many 

 specialties in medicine in which expert know- 

 ledge of the human mind and behavior is fun- 

 damental ; as in the care and treatment of 

 children, and the mental treatment of all types 

 of defectives and delinquents. Preventive 

 medicine, public health education, and sanita- 

 tion are built largely around psychology as the 

 science of human behavior. 



Educational psychology presents numerous 

 phases. Thus we have the psychology of the 

 course of study, of the child, of the adolescent, 

 of the learning process, of discipline, of par- 

 ticular types of training, and of special classes. 

 The science and art of education is primarily 

 applied psychology. 



The psychology of business and industry 

 appears in several large and distinct fields; 

 such as the psychology of advertising, of sales- 

 manship, of personnel, and of vocational selec- 

 tion and various types of efficiency activities. 



